


you can coax the cold right out of me

by tragickenobi



Series: vaderwan 'bite' [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Dubious Morality, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Resolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-28 10:10:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10090910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tragickenobi/pseuds/tragickenobi
Summary: the battle of mustafar ends differently, obi wan goes through some things





	

**Author's Note:**

> me: publishes months old fic on a whim because i feel bad about constantly procrastinating my other works
> 
> but yeah i've had this done for some time and i just passed it between two or so people. i'm still working on my bodhi/cassian fics and some other rogue one things but i figured it'd been over a month so i might as well knock something out here.
> 
> within the fic, anidala is still canon (everything is pretty much canon up until mustafar), but obi and anakin still had semi-acknowledged feelings and such.
> 
> title from bite, troye sivan

 

 

In an alternate universe, Anakin might not have won.

Obi Wan had very rarely dwelled on what his life would’ve been like had certain events not unfolded as they had. The only times he had were after Qui Gon’s death, after particularly harsh defeats during the Clone Wars, and after learning of Anakin’s fall. Those times seemed perfectly acceptable to be briefly lost in agonized thought and imagine if the opposite had instead been the result. If his master had lived, if they’d not lost so many lives, if he hadn’t failed Anakin.

And then failed Padmé.

Then be forced to face his fallen friend.

The consistent emotion during the duel, for the most part, is numbness. Occasional bursts of anger and sadness are either expelled out into the Force or simply used to help power his defense or offense. But otherwise, Obi Wan feels like he’d been shut down and was only fighting for what now remained of the Order, not himself. All just the pure need for survival. A rhythm of blocks and strikes that fueled by a muted sense of betrayal and anguish. His brain still seems to be somewhere on the ship, unaware or unaccepting of the transpiring events.

Not far into the battle, Anakin abruptly changes tactics. As Obi Wan goes for a strike, there’s the sound of a blade deactivating too quickly for him to do much of anything about it. Just as abruptly there’s a hand - real, physical, not a use of the Force - around his throat in a vise grip, knocking the air out of him and immediately claiming the advantage. An attempt to slash at the man reveals his other hand clamped around Obi’s wrist, forcing the arm away from Anakin. Properly taken aback, at first all Obi can do is try to pry at Anakin’s hand around his neck with his own other hand to no avail. The edges of his vision have already begun to gray-out.

Steadily, Anakin uses his grip to slowly bend Obi Wan backwards, gaze empty and yet an obvious flame of dangerous anger behind it. As his air continues to be cut off, Obi’s expression of surprise turns rageful, baring his teeth as he struggles against both of Anakin’s hands, attempting to regain the advantage before he can be bent further and pinned to the table they stand on.

Anakin’s face begins to show the same just-barely-below-the-surface anger as Obi Wan does, although, without much warning, it fades into something puzzlingly more neutral. Just as Obi gathers his dwindling energy to try and lash back out, attempt maybe to knock the man to the ground, Anakin’s grip tightens on Obi Wan’s wrist. It’s almost embarrassingly easy to make him drop his ‘saber. Anakin’s hand then joins the first in squeezing Obi’s throat, pushing him down until his feet can’t support the rest of him and he falls against the table, onto his back with a slight, punched-out-sounding gasp. Obi Wan attempts to use both hands to force Anakin off, beating at his chest and trying to grab or scratch at Anakin’s face, hit something to make him recoil or lose focus and then use the window of opportunity to strike back.

But Anakin keeps himself just out of arm’s reach, even going further and using his knee to pin Obi Wan’s chest to the table as well. Senses blurry, he may or may not imagine Anakin’s head tilt, slow smile form with an idea and whisper of “sleep” laced thickly with persuasion. Using what little he can, Obi Wan resists, trying to block Anakin’s Force from affecting him. Anakin’s face hardens at the lack of immediate effect, tightens his grip until Obi Wan is sure his neck is about to snap under the pressure, his mouth still agape in attempts to draw in air, and this time he’s sure Anakin snaps “ _ sleep _ ”. This time, the strangulation already drawing him near unconsciousness, Obi Wan watches as his eyelids slowly shut, image of Anakin over him burned into his sight for several lingering seconds even after the darkness sets in.

 

-

 

When Obi Wan wakes up, he’s no longer on Mustafar.

Instead, he feels a bed underneath him. Not unlike a cot he’d slept in many times in ships en route to various planets. He’s also no longer in his robes; he glances down to find himself in slightly too-large black pants and a gray sleep shirt. The image of someone having access to him long enough to undress and redress him - the reality that he’d been  _ that _ helpless for  _ that _ long - makes Obi’s skin crawl. He quickly sits up and swallows down on a rush of anxiety.

He regrets the move immediately. The swallow brings in a wave of sudden and harsh pain, a reminder of himself being choked within an inch of his life. Obi Wan uncertainly brings a hand up to his throat, expecting to feel bruises; and while he does, the first thing his fingers brush against is hard metal. Obi jolts at the feeling of it, tracing around it before finally his brain supplies the world- collar. His first thoughts go to a Force inhibitor, but after a moment to test the theory, still finds he’s more than capable of sinking back into the Force’s comfort. Confusion then sets in as any attempts to smash the collar or wrench it off fail, managing only to further agitate the bruises around the collar.

After deeming the attempts futile, Obi stands from the cot and then surveys the room. It’s not very big, with only one door and no windows. From the look of it, he'd guess he were in some kind of ship. Which, although the vast expanse of space doesn't exactly seem like an easy escape route, it opens up the possibility of being freed, be it by mere pirates or his remaining allies. Any other ship could happen across them; despite it being more dangerous, Obi finds himself increasingly more hopeful.

Hope soon dwindles, however, as he revisits the thought of the remaining Republic. He doesn't know what's happened to Padmé or Yoda or even Bail. Surely they're alive, but aware of Obi Wan’s survival?

As he attempts to reach out into the Force, his connection is abruptly cut. Obi Wan physically stumbles at the suddenness of it, falling back onto the cot to steady himself. He's fine within a few seconds, but being unprepared for it is what causes the initial first moments of nausea, the anxiety that comes with being cut off. Once he's recovered, Obi is then aware of staring down at feet in front of him. Immediately he snaps his head up, coming face to face with Anakin.

What scares him is how little the man seems changed. His eyes are still blue, face neutral and watching Obi Wan like he's been expecting him to wake up now for hours. The only evidence of their duel seems to be a few faint burns on his face, a faint bruise beside his eye. Without them, Obi might've been able to convince himself the whole thing was just one big terrible dream.

“Good morning, Obi Wan,” Anakin faintly smiles once the man seems sure that Obi won't pass back out again at suddenly being cut away from the Force. He says it so terribly casually, as if disassociated from the entire chain of events that had taken place over the last few days.

Obi Wan cannot entertain the same reaction, instead sitting up straighter and gripping the edge of the cot. “How much are you going to tell me, and how much am I going to have to figure out for myself?”

Anakin’s smile drops and he sighs quietly, stepping in closer and Obi already has the gears in his head turning, gauging how fast he can knock the breath out of the man and get out the door. “The sooner you cooperate,” he murmurs quietly, “the sooner you will have some of these restraints removed. The sooner you accept will be better for the both of us.”

“And here I thought the collar was just decorative. Does that mean you’re keeping the door locked too?”

Anakin places his hand on the wall just above Obi Wan’s head, and only because of the new power imbalance does Obi keep his mouth shut. He does still wince when Anakin slips two fingers into the back of the collar and pulling it taut, causing his neck to be uncomfortably exposed. “This stays on as long as you keep speaking out. If you get too close to the door, try to use the Force to break the door, or try to escape by any other means, this is going to shock you back into your place.” Anakin pulls the collar further back, making it a slight strain for Obi Wan to keep eye contact. “Does that answer your questions?”

Obi Wan keeps his face set in stoic defiance, ignoring the burn of the collar digging into his throat. “Force inhibitor?”

“It’s the room. Activated from the outside; look, I’m just as powerless,” Anakin flexes his other hand over Obi Wan’s throat with no effect. “It’s all much more effective to keep you on your toes. And besides, you don’t think me cruel enough to keep you blocked all the time?”

If he could access their remaining bond, Obi Wan easily would’ve sent Anakin a brief wave of his physical pain in response. But he cannot, and he’s not sure he could keep the emotional clench around his chest from leaking into the transfer even if he could, and so Obi settles for asking another question of his own. “And where then, is this ship going?”

Anakin smiles with one side of his mouth “Unimportant, Obi Wan. All you need to know is that you are to remain here until you are loyal to me again. And only then will you be allowed to have knowledge of the Empire’s and mine’s plans and have freedom again.”

He finally lets go of Obi Wan’s collar, thankfully allowing him to breathe normally. There's a small moment where the two of them just stare at the other, feeling the tension bubble up even without either of them being able to access the Force. Anakin still looks so insufferably  _ pleased _ with himself, and Obi Wan briefly considers that he might still be under some type of hallucinogenic or vision. He can't believe that his Anakin is capable of joy within this situation. And yet, then again, he hadn't believed him capable of all the other horrors he'd witnessed.

“I’ll give you some time to adjust to your new quarters. When I return, we may discuss adjusting your situation.” Anakin places a hand on Obi Wan’s cheek to force the eye contact to continue. Obi Wan decides against pulling away for his own well-being. “I truly hope you consider complying, Obi Wan.”

There’s barely a moment passed for Anakin to pull away and begin a stride towards the door when a bit of Obi Wan’s anger resurfaces; the idea and reality of Anakin having become a Sith feels like the man had plunged his blade through Obi Wan’s chest, dragging it slowly through to make his suffering long and painful. He stands and follows Anakin practically on his heels. “If you truly expect me to comply after I’ve watched you murder hundreds- and with my own two eyes strangle your own  _ wife _ -”

Abruptly, Anakin whirls around and grabs Obi by the throat again. His eyes have shifted back suddenly into a deep yellow, mouth contorted into a snarl as he holds Obi Wan off the ground like he weighs nothing. “You will not speak of her,” he growls, ignoring Obi’s surprised wide eyes and hands scrambling to attempt to push his grip away, instead walking them backward and holding the man against the wall, his toes barely brushing the ground. “You turned her against me,  _ you killed her! _ ”

Anakin completely cuts off Obi Wan’s air for several terrifying seconds before he lets go just as suddenly, leaving the man to sputter for breath as he turns again on his heel and storms out the door, shutting it with a slam. The Force comes back to him a few seconds later like a band finally snapped back into place, making him disoriented for a shorter span of time as the sensation isn't as sudden and painful. Even still, Obi Wan shakes from his place on the ground, hand hovering over his throat where Anakin had held.

He could've been lying; Obi Wan knows it. And he could be playing on words as those around him so often did; Padmé being dead was a very different thing than being dead to Anakin. But deep down, even without having to reach into the Force to feel it, he knows either excuse will only delay accepting the inevitable reality. If Padmé had been killed by Anakin back on Mustafar, then he had no guarantee that any of the others had survived their ordeals as well. And the unborn child-

Obi Wan sits back against the wall and covers his mouth with his hand, the magnitude of the loss etched into his features with a bone-deep chill. He should never have followed her after Anakin, or at the very least intervened sooner. Or later. The blame slowly pours more and more onto his shoulders until he feels suffocated again.

But, after the initial grief is absorbed, Obi Wan manages to get himself standing again. As much as Anakin and he may blame himself, Anakin was the one who ultimately turned and who attacked Pamdé. He holds onto that knowledge.

After examining the room for any exits, Obi settles himself onto the cot once again. If he doesn’t move, he can occasionally hear rhythmic footsteps every couple of minutes; guards. Obi Wan briefly entertains the idea of being able to mind-trick them into unlocking the door before he remembers the collar around his neck stopping that idea before he even gets past the doorway. With all he’s got on hand, all Obi can gather for a plan is to slowly get more information from Anakin. If he can figure out a lapse in security or be able to take advantage of the lack of restraints- if he can make it without going crazy for that long.

At least until then, all Obi Wan can think to do is meditate or sleep. He picks the latter, pressing his back against the wall and positioning himself so he’s facing the door if someone comes in. And if they catch the few tears that slip past despite his otherwise strong will not to, at least Anakin might be happy with the beginnings of submission showing.

 

-

 

Over the course of the following week, Obi Wan only attempts escape once.

The concept of time is odd within the windowless room, only being made aware of the passage of time through the meals being delivered every few hours. Anakin visits him twice in that time; the first is when Obi attempts to subdue him. Upon feeling the Force abruptly cut from him, Obi Wan barely waits long enough to stand and let Anakin step in close before grabbing him by the collar of his robes and slamming him into the ground, using his knee to pin the man’s neck to the ground. It’s working spectacularly until Obi hears the collar beep, and just like that he’s being shocked with enough voltage to make him black out for a brief few seconds. Even when he opens his eyes again, it takes a second or two for feeling to come back into his extremities. Anakin stands over him with a patronizing and disappointed look, one that Obi had probably given to him many times throughout the man’s training, before leaving. Not returning for five days.

By then, Obi Wan mostly accepts his current situation as it is. For however long that may be. He can hold out long enough to figure out a better plan that doesn’t result in having himself electrified for every step. When Anakin returns on that fifth-odd day, he walks almost like he knows Obi Wan won’t attempt to attack him again. It doesn’t make the air any less suffocatingly tense, but at least, Obi figures, they’ve reached a mutual understanding of the situation. He’s not sure if it’s more of a good or bad thing.

Eventually, after some minutes of silence, Anakin watching and Obi Wan absently pacing the perimeter of the room, Anakin speaks up “Have you been treated well?”

Obi Wan withholds a withering comment about the state of his throat and his voice by extension, still hoarse and sore despite the week having passed since Anakin had last grabbed him. “Fine enough.”

Anakin slowly nods, hands loosely clasped together in front of himself. “The crew is under specific instruction not to hurt you,” he explains, “the collar excluded.”

“I find it hard to believe everyone will abide by the ‘no harm shall come to the prisoner’ rule you so kindly penciled in.”

“They will,” Anakin insists strongly, and really, with his hostility now clearly growing out of check, Obi Wan doesn't doubt it too much, “And you aren't a prisoner, Obi.”

Obi Wan raises an eyebrow and stares at him “The man wearing a shock collar, locked in a room and the victim of strangulation on two separate accounts, is  _ not _ a prisoner?”

Anakin’s eyes briefly wobble between colors, and if he could feel the Force, Obi is more than sure he'd be able to feel the man struggling with the urge to snap at him again. But instead, he blinks slowly and lets his eyes slip back to blue before stepping closer, almost enough to be uncomfortable. Obi takes an instinctive step back.

“The collar and room are because I cannot trust you, Obi Wan,” Anakin says it as if it's the most obvious and logical thing, “You would've killed me had I not showed you mercy and captured you instead.” Then he steps closer and this time Obi Wan has nowhere to go, stuck between the wall and Anakin’s painfully familiar body. He whispers, “When I know you won't betray me as the others have, the collar goes, the room goes. You and I can be equals again.”

Obi Wan can't help but crack a humorless smile, chin tilted up in unwavering defiance as he looks up at Anakin. “And yet somehow I doubt the Sith Lord at the other end of your leash will feel the same way.”

Anakin’s face darkens again however briefly. He then gives a quick look back to the door - some kind of camera must be there, surely, some type of security device - before turning back to Obi in a hushed voice “He does not control me.”

“You turned and murdered of your own free will, then?”

“He doesn't control me,” Anakin snaps, only a little louder; then, softer, “I am more powerful than Sidious is. If he tries to hurt you, I won't hesitate to destroy him.”

The way Anakin says it, mixed with the determination in his eyes, almost scares Obi Wan with it’s intensity. He believes that Anakin would kill anyone who dared to try and lay a finger on him; and yet, he'd also been the one to wrap his hands around Obi Wan’s throat not once but twice. He's equally certain that if he ever posed a threat to Anakin that he'd be right back on the wrong end of his blade.

Just as the silence begins to drag on, Anakin states, “Come with me.”

Obi Wan raises an eyebrow, “Pardon?”

Anakin walks back towards the door and it opens automatically, and then he turns back to face Obi still standing back against the wall. “I want to show you something. Come.”

His problems with being addressed like a lap dog aside, Obi Wan steps as close as he dares to the doorway, ever cautious of not triggering the collar. “You want to prove a point?”

“Yes. I want to prove that us as equals is still possible.” Anakin steps out of the room and presses something on a panel on the wall just outside the door, and Obi Wan feels the Force snap back into his awareness. Anakin then steps back in and places his hand over the collar, fingers barely brushing over it, before it beeps again. Obi automatically tenses for a shock only for none to come. The point of it is proven when Anakin pulls him through the door without being sent another jolt.

As much as Obi Wan then thinks he could escape now, he doesn't try. He’s sure the collar could turn back on in a matter of seconds if he missteps, and doesn't doubt that he'd be caught before he could even figure out where any escape pods could be located- the ship, as it turns out, is more than massive, and even with being grounded by the Force he can't yet figure out where they could be. He decides at the very least to use this chance to gather as much as he can, be it Anakin’s plans or simply the layout of the ship itself.

Anakin leads as they walk down corridor after corridor, passing by very few; occasional guards in clone armor (or are they genuine clones? After nearly being shot down by his own, Obi Wan isn’t sure which would be more unsettling), and officers dressed in shades of blacks and greys similar to the clothes Obi had been given. They all stare at him briefly, but, likely upon remembering Anakin’s presence, don’t linger on any thoughts or observations on the odd pair moving past them. It gives him another good indication of Anakin’s newfound reputation.

The two reach the bridge of the ship within minutes. Obi Wan gives another brief glance around at the pilots and officers, feeling that much more like a bizarre pet, before he redirects his attention to what now ahead of him. He nearly stops in his tracks. Only by automatic impulse does he keep walking forward, albeit slower, before he’s then standing beside Anakin as they both stare out into the space stretched out before them. The spherical metal skeleton looks to be already the size of a small planet or moon. In his peripheral, he can see several other large Destroyer ships, also pointed facing the- the  _ thing _ . Obi Wan throws Anakin a bewildered look, using his ability to use the Force to pass the question between them silently through their bond.

With a faint ghost of a smirk, Anakin holds his hands behind his back, the amusement slipping from his face as he begins to speak. “It’s the weapon of the Empire. By the time it’s finished, it will have more power than anything the galaxy has ever seen.”

Somewhere underneath the feigned pride, Obi Wan can sense the twinge of something akin to disgust at the thought of the bizarre giant weapon. Though not disgust so much for the obvious ‘building-a-giant-weapon-bigger-than-a-starfleet’ reason. Obi continues to stare in a mix of stunned awe and horror at the outline of the planet-sized weapon, knowing he’d be unable to fathom such a thing if he weren’t staring at it.

Using their bond, Obi Wan slips the question to Anakin,  _ ‘How long until this is completed?’ _

Anakin looks over at Obi a moment later, microexpressions indicating surprise at the use of their bond. Obi Wan supposes, considering the situation, it’s somewhat odd; the idea of the entire deck being able to listen in on their conversation is the deciding factor to use it.  _ ‘The estimation is several years. I’m in charge of preparations, so there’s a greater likelihood of it being sooner.’ _

Obi Wan glances back at the sphere, imagining it fully formed and operational, and his stomach twists. He knows now he needs to escape not just for his own freedom, but for any remaining survivors from the Republic. With a weapon that powerful, he can only imagine how quickly any opposing group or planet would be taken out.

After another moment to absorb everything, he sends  _ ‘Why show me this if you want us as equals?’ _

_ ‘Because I believe you can help us avoid casualties,’ _ Anakin sends in response, looking at Obi Wan again briefly before back out to watching the space before them.  _ ‘You remain a symbol of the old ways that many might still believe in. If you become our ally, people will be less likely to oppose us. Less people will become victims if they see you on our side.’ _

Without being able to verbally hear Anakin, Obi can’t tell how genuine the idea is; if Anakin wants that just to coax Obi Wan into being a willing captive or if he truly wants to prevent as many unneeded deaths as he can. He can’t imagine it without remembering what he’d seen at the temple. Why prevent deaths now when he could so easily take them just days previous?

As if sensing the internal turmoil within the other man, Anakin exhales hard and turns around, looking at Obi Wan to follow. Obi waits a moment before turning as well, allowing Anakin to lead him off the bridge. A few officers attempt to approach Anakin but none get past “Lord Vader,” before he brushes them aside. Obi feels the slight nudge of the Force at his back to keep him walking in time with Anakin, not allowing him to fall behind. This persists until the two of them re-enter Obi’s room, until the invisible feeling is replaced by Anakin’s hand hovering just over the small of the man’s back.

Once the door closes, Anakin whispers “I’m trying to give you a choice, Obi Wan. Either you remain difficult and continue to be punished for it, or you go along with this and gain some of your freedom back.”

Obi turns to properly face him, trying to hide the small twinge of thankfulness that Anakin is at least trying to create some form of protection. “After you’ve tried to kill me thrice now and continue to hold me against my will, you think I’ll cooperate in tricking systems into following your Empire?”

“I think you’ll make the right choice for the greater good,” Anakin answers, stepping in a little closer so they’re barely inches from brushing together. “If I don’t treat you as a prisoner, I’ll be deemed unloyal and I’ll lose my ability to protect you from the rest of the Empire. You have to understand that until you accept this offer, I’m forced to continue to give you less than you deserve.”

Obi Wan raises an eyebrow, straightening his stance a little more defensively. He can feel Anakin’s mental shields up after barely trying to pull something through their bond resembling a familiar reaction. All he can ask for is some sign that the man he knows is still somewhere inside the Sith that stands in front of him; all he can get is a few brief moments where it looks like Anakin is genuinely distressed by the situation, through be it because of having hurt Obi or because he just wants for everything to work out in his favor, Obi doesn’t know.

“As long as you understand that as long as I’m held here, I refuse to help in handing you innocent planets to control,” he exhales quietly, staring at Anakin challengingly.

Anakin stares back at Obi Wan for a few moments, each stretching out longer than the last. The only reason Obi remains unafraid is that he roots himself in the belief that Anakin won’t hurt him to the point of fatality. What feels like a minute ticks by until Anakin exhales audibly, bringing his hand up behind Obi Wan’s neck like before, until the collar beeps and he steps back. A strange look of disappointment briefly passes over his face before it disappears, and Anakin says nothing more as he walks back out, door closing behind him.

Obi Wan stands there a moment, the back of his neck tingling where Anakin had very nearly touched him. He’s almost angry, rubbing at the spot and tugging a little at the collar in annoyance, angry that random acts of kindness (and, really, kindness feels like a stretch) are so effective in bringing down Obi’s guard. It feels impossible to tell if Anakin’s just winding him down so he’ll agree to the deal, or if there’s a genuine element of protectiveness and caring hidden behind his shields.

Frustrated with himself, with the situation, Obi Wan sits himself on the cot and brings himself down into a shallow meditation. As long as he can find comfort within the Force, he believes he’ll be able to minimally find a way to compromise, or better yet, escape.

 

-

 

Time continues to pass with varying fluidity. Some days pass quickly with the aid of further meditation, while some drag for what feels like weeks and years. Anakin visits seemingly randomly, sometimes coming every few hours, and sometimes nearly a week will pass before the two have any contact. Although Obi Wan can’t get a solid answer on what exactly goes on while Anakin is gone for such a time, the walls between them slowly begin to wear down after each visit.

At first, it’s subtle things. Obi Wan loses most of his tension as the bruises on his throat have faded into barely-there yellowed marks. And although there remains an edge of hostility to him, Anakin slowly loses his stiffness as well, loses the forced air of authority. As the more time passes, the more the both of them come to the silent agreement that as long as they’re at a standstill with the weapon agreement, there might as well be an attempt at enjoying the other’s company.

Over the course of what is likely several weeks, the two begin to rebuild a small reconnection. Anakin explains more of the weapon- the Death Star- and the minor missions he’s sent out on under his new master. While that term alone can send an unpleasant chill through Obi, it at least gives them something to talk about outside of the elephant in the room of him still being a captive. Obi Wan himself has little new to talk about; and he doesn’t deny that Anakin being his one link to the rest of civilization is more reassuring than someone who wasn’t minimally just pretending to care for him.

The conversation that sticks with Obi Wan is the one where Anakin explains the collar more in depth. According to him, it can be deactivated with use of the Force, although without knowing how exactly, the result would just be another shock. He reveals, then, the only way to properly remove the collar is a small key; similar in size and shape to something like a computer chip. The only time Obi sees it is that one day, when Anakin explains it and promises he’ll use it to remove the collar once Obi Wan stops his constant resistance. The baiting doesn’t work, but he remembers the key, and watches the pocket in Anakin’s robe where it’s kept every visit.

Some months pass - likely, anyway; it's still hard to tell - before Anakin deems progress made. Enough to move Obi Wan out of the small room he’d been kept in. Admittedly, the new room has little new to offer; it still can be cut off from the Force, and the collar remains, but Obi is at least given access to a proper bed and datapad. And because Anakin is in control of everything, there’s no foreseeable way to use the datapad to get a cry for help out. After several hours of trying, the extent of the it’s use seems to be only to be able to read news and Imperial mission updates, only to keep him in the loop of the galaxy’s changes. He supposes he can appreciate the thought behind giving him the device, even if most of what he reads is no doubt distorted by propaganda.

Anakin visits him again a few days after the room transfer. As always, the suddenness of being cut off from the Force leaves Obi Wan painfully disoriented for several moments, and he comes back to himself to see Anakin standing over him again. He’s used to the sight, now better able to hide the pangs of annoyance that come with the beginnings of their time together. As much as Anakin has started to slowly pull back the restrictions, there’s still enough to remain a constant reminder of his state as a prisoner, and what caused them to get to this point.

Once Obi can stare back up at Anakin from his spot sitting on the bed, Anakin exhales quietly and visibly relaxes. He’s made his own kind of progress with getting a handle back on himself, at least around Obi Wan; to say, he hasn’t snapped and attempted to kill him again.

“How is it?” Anakin asks, eyes glancing over the expanse of the room before landing back on Obi Wan.

“Better,” Obi acknowledges, setting the datapad aside and standing as well, a respectable distance from Anakin, cautiously. “Nicer than I thought this place of providing.”

“I’ve told you, your cooperation would result in gaining your freedoms back.”

“And most promises of that nature mean nothing with prisoners.”

“Obi Wan-”

Obi waves his hand in frustrated dismissal, glancing around the room once more before leaning against the wall. “You can phrase it however kindly you'd like, it doesn't change the nature of the situation. You're smart enough to know that.”

Anakin sets his jaw in seemingly equal frustration and walks forward several steps. “I placed the nature of the situation in your hands, your control, Obi Wan. This ends when you make it end.”

The urge to yell in immature annoyance comes and goes. Obi Wan rests his crossed arms over his chest. Anakin knows as well as anyone that he won't work alongside him when so many millions of innocent lives could be put in jeopardy. Obi exhales after a moment of growingly tense silence. Then he attempts to change the subject to something at least different, at least something they haven't argued over a thousand times before, pushing himself off the wall. “Why give me the option?”

Anakin raises an eyebrow questioningly.

“You offered no one else the same choice. Even-” he's careful not to name names, not after Anakin’s very clear volatile nature after he had before. “even those closest to you, you never gave anyone a chance to defend themselves. You never pleaded with them to join you. Why choose my suffering to be dragged out?” he demands, only allowing the faintest of shakiness to leak out into his voice.

Even without the Force, Obi gets goosebumps at the loud silence that begins once he stops talking. The way Anakin stares is painfully unnerving, like he's trying to tap into Obi Wan’s thoughts on his own willpower. By the time he starts to become unbearably nervous that he'd set the man off again, Anakin’s gaze softens a minimal amount. “You’re the last I have,” he explains as if obvious, stepping in closer until Obi has almost stepped back against the wall again. “I grew up alongside you; if I didn’t think you’d listen to me, I would have put my effort elsewhere.”

“You grew up with everyone you killed, Anakin, that’s hardly reassuring.”

“Not like you,” Anakin insists, closer still, “We know each other better than anyone; just as I refused to kill you, you wouldn’t have killed me. Your betrayal was only in your beliefs.”

Obi Wan holds his tongue, mentally picking apart Anakin’s excuses as he knows verbally doing so would only set the man off on him. And even with his caution, he holds his posture strong at the very least. “Again,” he repeats calmly, “hardly reassuring.”

That seems to rub the man the wrong way, Anakin’s eyes darkening again as he steps closer while Obi Wan doesn’t budge. “If I could have prevented it, I would not have killed so many, I would’ve given them chances to change. You’re the only one I knew would listen.”

“And yet I’ve not budged an inch in helping you,” Obi points out flatly, hands stiff at his sides.

“And yet you will,” Anakin counters sharply, now close enough that their chests are just inches apart and almost brush together if they breathe heavily enough. Then it’s almost as if he regains some of his temper, almost  _ prideful _ . “You don’t resist. Not like before. You know you’re safer here with me than you would be if you’d fled with the survivors.”

Obi Wan sets his jaw, his own temper flaring at the insinuation that he’s accepted his place here; though he’d do almost anything to have Anakin back to set things right again, there has yet to be a day passed without the thought of escape coming to him. He senses that the man knows this, but doesn’t accept it or just simply ignores it. “Anakin, you’ll either have to kill me or be smart enough to let me go. There’s not a chance in this lifetime that you’ll have me supporting any of what you do, not now.”

Anakin glares. “I’m not going to give up on you that easily.”

“You’d better prepare to.” he insists, finally taking initiative to gently push Anakin away from him, except that he doesn’t budge even an inch. “There’s no chance of me bending to what you want.”

“I’m not losing you too,” Anakin rephrases himself, the anger building behind his eyes, and Obi figures he deserves it if he’s attacked again but he’s a little tired of Anakin thinking getting the horrible things he wants will be so easy.

Shaking his head, Obi pushes at Anakin again. “Anakin-”

Obi Wan’s back hits the wall when Anakin pushes him right back, heart skipping a beat as his other hand automatically goes to Ani’s chest as well, preparing to either be shocked or be otherwise hurt as a result of his noncompliance. But nothing comes, and if anything Anakin stares at him more softly than he has in weeks. They remain there staring, almost frozen, until Obi Wan’s hands slowly uncurl from their fists.

If it's a change in tactics or a shift in ideology, Obi might never know. He just stares as Anakin places his hands over his own and moves them away as if they were nothing. Gentle. Obi Wan opens his mouth to say something, continue trying prodding Anakin away from the path he's gone down, but he doesn't get so much as a sound out before Anakin’s claimed the last of his personal space, bending down and pulling Obi into the kiss.

To describe it as soft would be too much of an understatement. Half of Obi Wan’s previous defenses crumble to nothings at the warmth of Anakin’s mouth on his. Because while they’ve done this before- kissed briefly by accident or in the heat of anger, never at a time where they were both level-headed enough to know what they were doing and it’s not like they ever spoke about it after- it’s never had so much put into it. He feels Anakin’s hands slightly tighten around his own and uses the grip to pull him closer, one eventually moving to cup the back of his neck and it’s unfair how fast that undoes him. Like weeks of resistance are done away with in a matter of a few careful touches.

Against his better judgement, Obi Wan kisses back, unable to pretend like he hasn’t yearned for this on some level. Anakin keeps him pressed into the wall, though continuously gentle as he holds him close all the same, running gloved fingers over his skin. The coolness of it against his warm skin is enough to create goosebumps and- he’s dying with it. Anakin keeps it soft, so Obi keeps it soft, but the kiss opens up the deep well of longing and loneliness in his chest, and it hurts.

So Obi Wan buries his hands in Anakin’s robes and returns the gesture of pulling him closer, pressing their foreheads together as he goes up on the balls of his feet to further deepen the kiss. He hears Anakin make a noise in the back of his throat, and it becomes obvious all he was waiting for was any form of consent before pushing it forward more. Anakin moves his second hand to Obi Wan’s hair in a tight grip, stepping in even closer until Obi’s almost forced to stand on his toes to keep the kiss going.

Even with the new budding intensity, Obi Wan has to move one hand up to Anakin’s shoulder to gently push him away with a quiet gasp for breath, feeling light headed with the rush of emotions that collide internally. Anakin watches him with the same frightening intensity as before, but fear isn't the first reaction that comes in. Obi takes a deep breath in an effort to come back to himself, gets out “Anakin-” before Anakin surges back in and cuts him off, kissing him hard enough to bruise. All Obi Wan can do is muffle a noise closest to a whine and kiss back, hands remaining fisted in Anakin’s robes near his hips.

He still feels like he's drowning in the intensity of it, clinging onto Anakin and unable to think of anything going on outside their little space. Anakin’s hands start to roam as the kiss grows deeper, teeth occasionally bumping together in the desperation to get closer than they're able to. Hands keep Obi Wan pressed to the wall immobile even as they tug aside his shirt until he hears fabric rip. There’s only a moment for a breathless smile of amusement before Anakin’s consuming him again, kissing him until he can’t breathe before finally wandering away from his mouth.

Obi Wan initially winces at the roughness as Anakin bites down on his jaw before the sensation is calmed with the coolness of his tongue, already making Obi feel weak in the knees again. The hand at the back of his neck shifts around to push down the collar as far down as can be allowed; even though once it’s almost at the base of his neck, Obi can hear a faint growl of annoyance come from Anakin before pushing Obi Wan further into the wall. Hickey after hickey are added to his jaw and soon after his neck, one of Anakin’s hands buried in Obi’s hair and using the grip to pull Obi Wan’s head back and push out his neck for easier access. By the time Anakin has finally moved away long enough to catch his own breath. Obi Wan’s entire neck is buzzing with the faint burn of teeth marks and rapidly bruising skin. He almost misses it, but Anakin breathes out distinctly “mine” before pulling Obi into another one of many bruising kisses.

As obvious as it should be that Obi Wan stop this before he fuels Anakin too far, he knows he can’t before he even tries. He doesn’t  _ want _ to stop, lest this be his last chance to have such intense emotions directed at him. Anakin’s hands further push apart where his shirt’s been ripped right along his shoulder, leaving the uppermost left portion of his chest and arm exposed and covered with goosebumps. Obi Wan breathlessly watches as, while always keeping him pinned, Anakin presses his knee to the wall between Obi’s legs before gripping Obi by the waist, pulling them both closer to each other as Ani’s leg provides just enough solidity and pressure for stars to already be seen. He’ll be embarrassed of the noise he makes later.

Anakin places his hands on the small of Obi’s back and holds him close, nuzzling the crook of his neck with a quiet groan before nipping and sucking harshly at the skin. Obi Wan shivers and wraps both arms around Anakin’s neck, one hand fisted up and his other hand gripping by the wrist to keep him close. He rests his forehead against Anakin’s chest while the man continues to roughly leave his mark over almost every inch of exposed skin.

Just as before, right as Obi Wan starts to get comfortable in the rhythm, Anakin hoists him up again into a proper kiss. It's obvious it's on purpose when Anakin really begins to use the placement of his leg to his advantage, rocking it up into Obi Wan’s crotch slow and steady. Any better day and Obi might have been able to handle the friction reasonably, but the moment it starts he's gone, moaning into Ani’s mouth as he starts to meet his intensity in the kiss. It's almost juvenile in how messy it's devolved into, unfiltered desperation being pulled along by Anakin’s possessiveness.

He can tell a long while must pass with them in such a position, but Obi Wan is too distracted to even consider wondering how long they've been kissing; he doesn't need to wonder why he hasn't stopped yet. His entire body buzzes with arousal the more time Anakin is pressed into him, starting to alternate between kissing him and returning to his neck and exposed shoulder to further darken the already forming hickeys. The knee shoved between his legs is never still, always moving up against him just firmly enough to make his toes curl and pull more noises from him, and Obi can almost sense Anakin’s arrogant smugness coming through every time it happens. The feeling continues to intensify until Obi Wan is shaking, clawing at Anakin’s robes as if he could get enough of a grip to actually get any of it off.

Anakin moves one hand up from the small of Obi Wan’s back to the side of his neck, coolness generating more goosebumps and providing another sold nudge for him and with another kiss it's all that was really needed. Without the man holding him up, Obi is sure his knees would've buckled with his orgasm. Even without being able to balance himself in the Force, he feels Anakin carefully slow down while never ceasing in completely engulfing him. When a hand is placed on his cheek just moments later, the glove is gone, revealing the cold metal of Anakin’s prosthetic. For a moment Obi Wan can become pulled into the comfort it gives him, the familiarity. His fisted up hands move to Anakin’s sides, keeping him close despite the knee moving out from between his legs to allow him to properly recover.

After catching his breath, Anakin’s hand tilts Obi Wan’s face up so they can hold eye contact again, the first proper time post-kiss. Anakin’s eyes are blown out something primitive; though judging from his own ripped shirt and being able to see only a fraction of the hickeys left behind, Obi Wan knows he doesn't look very put together either.

“I’m not losing you,” Anakin repeats quietly, leaning their foreheads together before trailing a few absent kisses along Obi’s jaw, almost nuzzling him. “You're mine here- safe here, no one else will ever so much as lay a hand on you.”

He kisses Obi Wan again, running his prosthetic calmly through the smaller man’s hair and the temperature contrast brings another wave of comfort to him. When murmuring “mine”, the lustful overtone is replaced instead with a startling amount of intimacy, like Anakin had been holding this in for years (and Obi Wan knows him, knows he has been, but tries not to think about that). A half dozen questions float through Obi’s head, questioning what this even means, wondering for himself if this changes anything about their situation or the agreement that had been offered to him.

Anakin pulls back softly, smiling to himself before adjusting Obi Wan’s shirt where it's ripped and putting his glove back on. “I’ll send someone with something better,” he promises, nodding at the shirt without the slightest bit of shame. Obi finally remembers that he's capable of response and nods, clearing his throat softly.

“And I’ll be back soon,” Anakin adds, pausing before bringing both hands up to cup Obi Wan’s cheeks and pull him up into a kiss that must have as much passion as can be conveyed behind it. Obi kisses back with his own spike of desperation, tightening his grip in Ani’s robes until the man pulls away and he's forced to let go, panting and selfishly longing for more. Anakin smiles at him once before finally making himself leave.

The door closes and Obi Wan finally allows the remaining tension to drain from his shoulders and hands, loosening his grip on the key enclosed in his fist, a brief sad smile playing on his swollen lips in bittersweet victory.

 

-

 

Anakin is jarred awake in the dead of the night cycle.

It's pitch black, and normally he'd be cold upon the first thoughts of remembering where he is. But his mind is on the complete other end of the spectrum of that; it takes a moment of mental searching to realize the dramatic change in the Force that had been enough to wake him, but the moment he lands on it, he's out of bed with his cloak thrown over his shoulders in an instant, all but flying down the halls with murder in his eyes. He can no longer feel Obi Wan, neither through their bond or just generally through the Force. It means one of two things- someone had turned the room’s inhibitor on with the sole purpose of doing things they didn't want Anakin to know about, or escape, Obi Wan being too far away to properly find with a simple reach out.

Anakin comes to the door and hurriedly punches in the code that unlocks it before pushing the door open. The rage becomes almost blinding then at the sight of nothing. Only the remains of the collar, smashed to pieces with the key beside it.  _ Gone _ .

Behind him, several officers hurry down the hall towards him, as if only now they're aware of the fact that Obi Wan had escaped. In the corner of his vision, Anakin can see one of the higher ranking men steps forward, explaining that an escape pod had been jettisoned during shift changes. He's somewhere onto his next sentence when Anakin closes his fist, waiting until he hears the choking stop and the thud of the body hitting the floor before opening his hand again and stepping into the room.

Upon entry, Anakin reaches out into the Force for something, anything to calm himself before he walks back out to continue snapping necks as punishment for the incompetence of the ship’s crew. Remnants of relief and distress are some of the first lingering emotions to hit him, the need to escape being fulfilled. Anakin glares around the room in frustration, that Obi Wan had been able to lift the key off him, that their breakthrough had been a lie- that he'd been double crossed in such a way that he'd been explicitly warned about by Sidious-

A moment later brings Anakin the rest of the emotions left hanging in the room. Though there ends up being dozens, the most potent is longing. Although upon further searching it, the emotion appears not to be for escape as the previous distress had been. Longing for  _ him _ . Anakin’s face clears at the realization that the strongest feeling left behind had been the acknowledgement that Obi would, in fact, miss him.

Without missing a beat, Anakin turns on his heel and leaves the room, ordering the lingering officers to track down the escape pod. He steps casually over the dead officer, removing the cloak from his shoulders with a slow forming grin.

He'll find Obi Wan again, if anything purely fueled by the knowledge that all he'd done to protect the man had not been in vain, that there was want on both sides. That’s enough.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> some notes- dubious consent tagged because of the power dynamic; because it is there, but both parties are still willing and consensual and all that is needed. luke and leia are still alive despite neither obi or anakin knowing about it (in my head if threepio could carry padme back to the ship, he could get her back to help too). if something else in my wip folder doesn't steal my attention, i'm juggling a sequel work for this with my bodhi/cassian work. flip a coin for which finishes first.
> 
> also, despite the slightly-abandoned quiobikin series, this was my first time writing obikin solo, so?? thoughts?
> 
> tumblr is still imwvemalbus, comments very encouraged


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